Sasha Sagan

Last updated

Sasha Sagan
Born1982 (age 4041)
Alma mater New York University
Occupation(s)Author, screenwriter, producer, podcaster
Notable workFor Small Creatures Such as We
Spouse
Jonathan Noel
(m. 2013)
Children2
Parents

Alexandra "Sasha" Sagan (born 1982) is an American author, television producer, filmmaker, and podcaster.

Contents

Biography

Sagan is the daughter of the writer Ann Druyan and astronomer Carl Sagan. She is a graduate of New York University.

She has written for New York Magazine. [1]

She has played the role of Carl Sagan's mother in Cosmos: Possible Worlds . [2] [3]

Sagan was one of the producers of the short film Bastard (2010). She and Kirsten Dunst were the screenplay writers. [4]

Writing

Her book For Small Creatures Such as We was published in 2019. [5]

Personal life

Sagan lives in Boston with her husband, Jonathan Noel, and their daughter and son. They were married in Ithaca, New York in September 2013. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Druyan</span> American author and producer (born 1949)

Ann Druyan is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning American documentary producer and director specializing in the communication of science. She co-wrote the 1980 PBS documentary series Cosmos, hosted by Carl Sagan, whom she married in 1981. She is the creator, producer, and writer of the 2014 sequel, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and its sequel series, Cosmos: Possible Worlds, as well as the book of the same name. She directed episodes of both series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Sagan</span> American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934–1996)

Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, science communicator, author, and professor. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including experimental demonstration of the production of amino acids from basic chemicals by radiation. He assembled the first physical messages sent into space, the Pioneer plaque and the Voyager Golden Record, which were universal messages that could potentially be understood by any extraterrestrial intelligence that might find them. He argued in favor of the hypothesis, which has since been accepted, that the high surface temperatures of Venus are the result of the greenhouse effect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirsten Dunst</span> American actress and model (born 1982)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voyager Golden Record</span> Two phonograph records on board Voyager spacecraft

The Voyager Golden Records are two identical phonograph records one of each which were included aboard the two Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977. The records contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form who may find them. The records are a time capsule.

<i>Cosmos: A Personal Voyage</i> 1980 science documentary series

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage is a thirteen-part, 1980 television series written by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, and Steven Soter, with Sagan as presenter. It was executive-produced by Adrian Malone, produced by David Kennard, Geoffrey Haines-Stiles, and Gregory Andorfer, and directed by the producers, David Oyster, Richard Wells, Tom Weidlinger, and others. It covers a wide range of scientific subjects, including the origin of life and a perspective of our place in the universe. Owing to its bestselling companion book and soundtrack album using the title, Cosmos, the series is widely known by this title, with the subtitle omitted from home video packaging. The subtitle began to be used more frequently in the 2010s to differentiate it from the sequel series that followed.

<i>Contact</i> (1997 American film) Science fiction drama by Robert Zemeckis

Contact is a 1997 American science fiction drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis, based on the 1985 novel by Carl Sagan. Sagan and his wife Ann Druyan wrote the story outline for the film. It stars Jodie Foster as Dr. Eleanor "Ellie" Arroway, a SETI scientist who finds evidence of extraterrestrial life and is chosen to make first contact. It also stars Matthew McConaughey, James Woods, Tom Skerritt, William Fichtner, John Hurt, Angela Bassett, Rob Lowe, Jake Busey, and David Morse. It features the Very Large Array in New Mexico, the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, the Mir space station, and the Space Coast surrounding Cape Canaveral.

<i>The Demon-Haunted World</i> 1995 book by Carl Sagan

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark is a 1995 book by the astrophysicist Carl Sagan and co-authored by Ann Druyan, in which the authors aim to explain the scientific method to laypeople and to encourage people to learn critical and skeptical thinking. They explain methods to help distinguish between ideas that are considered valid science and those that can be considered pseudoscience. Sagan states that when new ideas are offered for consideration, they should be tested by means of skeptical thinking and should stand up to rigorous questioning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2709 Sagan</span> Asteroid named in honor of Carl Sagan

2709 Sagan, provisional designation 1982 FH, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6.7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 21 March 1982, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona, and named after astronomer and science popularizer Carl Sagan.

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<i>Cosmos</i> (Sagan book) 1980 book by Carl Sagan

Cosmos is a popular science book written by astronomer and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carl Sagan. It was published in 1980 as a companion piece to the PBS mini-series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage with which it was co-developed and intended to complement. Each of the book’s 13 illustrated chapters corresponds to one of the 13 episodes of the television series. Just a few of the ideas explored in Cosmos include the history and mutual development of science and civilization, the nature of the Universe, human and robotic space exploration, the inner workings of the cell and the DNA that controls it, and the dangers and future implications of nuclear war. One of Sagan's main purposes for both the book and the television series was to explain complex scientific ideas in a way that anyone interested in learning can understand. Sagan also believed the television was one of the greatest teaching tools ever invented, so he wished to capitalize on his chance to educate the world. Spurred in part by the popularity of the TV series, Cosmos spent 50 weeks on the Publishers Weekly best-sellers list and 70 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list to become the best-selling science book ever published at the time. In 1981, it received the Hugo Award for Best Non-Fiction Book. The unprecedented success of Cosmos ushered in a dramatic increase in visibility for science-themed literature. The success of the book also served to jumpstart Sagan's literary career. The sequel to Cosmos is Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space (1994).

<i>Pale Blue Dot</i> (book) 1994 book by Carl Sagan

Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space is a 1994 book by the astronomer Carl Sagan. It is the sequel to Sagan's 1980 book Cosmos and was inspired by the famous 1990 Pale Blue Dot photograph, for which Sagan provides a poignant description. In the book, Sagan mixes philosophy about the human place in the universe with a description of the current knowledge about the Solar System. He also details a human vision for the future.

<i>Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors</i> (book) 1992 book by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors: A Search for Who We Are is a 1992 book by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan. The authors give a summary account of the evolutionary history of life on Earth, with particular focus upon certain traits central to human nature and the discussion of where their precursors began to develop in other species. In the final chapters, they examine primates in detail, comparing the details between anatomically modern humans and the extant species most closely related to them.

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<i>Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey</i> 2014 American science documentary television series presented by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey is a 2014 American science documentary television series. The show is a follow-up to the 1980 television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, which was presented by Carl Sagan on the Public Broadcasting Service and is considered a milestone for scientific documentaries. This series was developed to bring back the foundation of science to network television at the height of other scientific-based television series and films. The show is presented by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who, as a young high school student, was inspired by Sagan. Among the executive producers are Seth MacFarlane, whose financial investment was instrumental in bringing the show to broadcast television, and Ann Druyan, a co-author and co-creator of the original television series and Sagan's wife. The show is produced by Brannon Braga, and Alan Silvestri composed the backing score.

"Standing Up in the Milky Way" is the first aired episode of the American documentary television series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. It premiered on March 9, 2014, simultaneously on various Fox television networks, including National Geographic Channel, FX, Fox Life, and others. The episode is presented by the series host astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, directed by Brannon Braga, produced by Livia Hanich and Steven Holtzman, and written by Ann Druyan and Steven Soter.

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References

  1. "Sasha Sagan". New York Magazine. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  2. Palmer, Rob (March 31, 2020). "Exploring 'Possible Worlds' With Ann Druyan". Skeptical Inquirer . CFI. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  3. Hersko, Tyler (November 7, 2019). "'Cosmos: Possible Worlds' to Premiere on National Geographic in 2020 — Exclusive". IndieWire . Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  4. Kay, Jeremy (March 18, 2010). "Kirsten Dunst's Bastard among Tribeca short films roster". screendaily.com. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  5. "Thirty books to help us understand the world in 2020". The Guardian. October 18, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  6. "Sasha Sagan and Jonathan Noel". The New York Times. September 29, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2020.